Raft tether anchor

ABSTRACT

A raft tether anchor provides an attachment point for securing a length of line to a raft having one or more cup holder wells. The raft tether anchor comprises hitch means and a compressible resilient body. The hitch means includes a post with an upper end having an eyelet and a lower end having a transverse base. The body has a central bore for receiving the post and a recess for receiving the base in flush relation to the body. The body is designed so that the upper end of the post protrudes from the bore and exposes the eyelet. The body may be compressed, inserted into a cup holder well on a raft, and allowed to expand into frictional engagement within the well. The eyelet is designed to receive a line to be tied for tethering the raft to prevent drifting.

CROSS REFERENCE TO OTHER APPLICATIONS

Applicant claims the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 60/797,813, filed 4 May 2006.

BACKGROUND

Outdoor recreational activities are frequently associated with water. Swimming, fishing and boating are popular activities. Individuals enjoy swimming, fishing, and boating in lakes, rivers and tidal waters. Swimming is also enjoyed in swimming pools. As a part of many water related recreational activities, there is a need to support individuals or equipment on the surface of the water. Inflatable rafts are often used to support an individual desiring to relax in a swimming pool. Inflatable rafts are typically designed to support an adult human in lying or reclining position and are equipped with wells for holding juice or soda containers. Collapsible outdoor chairs have been incorporated with blocks of rigid floatation material to produce a floating chair raft for supporting an individual in a swimming pool. Rigid floats are also used to support conventional rafts for individuals and for equipment, such as a cooler. Rafts and floats, of all designs, are often provided with cup holder wells for holding juice or soda containers. It is desirable that the raft or float be tethered, so as to remain in one general location, while floating on the surface of the water.

A number of devices have been developed to tether rafts and floats. U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,048, to Greedy discloses a suction cup fitting, for attachment to the side of a swimming pool. The suction cup fitting has a fixed loop which may be used to secure a length of line running between the suction cup fitting and a suitable fitting on an inflatable raft. The fitting on the raft is a grommet mounted in a tab or flap produced by extending a seam of the inflatable raft. The fitting is seen as an improvement over a separate tab with a grommet, which is attached to the raft by adhesive. U.S. Pat. No. 6,331,128, to Schmick, discloses a fitting embedded into the molded material of a solid floatation device. This design produces a permanent fitting for attaching a tether.

Floats are also used by fishermen and hunters to support equipment on the surface of the water. A float, such as that disclosed by U.S. Pat. No. 6,345,744, to Eldridge, provides space and fittings to accommodate the equipment necessary for hunting. The float includes a grommet mounted in an integral tab, which is used secure a tether. Fishermen desiring to stand in the water while fishing, frequently use a similar device to support fishing equipment.

Recreational boaters frequently anchor or beach their boats and spend time relaxing by floating on rafts. The same devices used in swimming pools are used to tether the rafts to boats or to other rafts. Typically, a length of line is secured, at one end, to a cleat on a boat and the other end of the line is tied to an attachment point on an inflatable or rigid raft. Some rafts have multiple attachment points, so a plurality of rafts may be linked using a chain of tethers leading from a boat to a last raft. Attachment points on an inflatable raft are often formed of a grommet mounted in a tab and attachment points on a rigid raft are often formed of a loop embedded in solid floatation material. Stress is repeatedly applied to the attachment points as the movement of the water causes the raft to tug against the tether. In a swimming pool, the water is relatively calm but the degree of water movement is substantially greater on rivers, lakes, and tidal waters generally used for boating. The tabs on inflatable rafts tend to fail or the seam along which the tab is formed tends to separate and cause the raft to deflate. Rafts formed of solid floatation material are less popular for boating, because of storage issues; however, the embedded fittings are not well suited to withstand the additional stress imparted by the action of larger water bodies. It is also desirable to have a detachable fitting, for the tether, which will not hamper other uses of the raft.

There is a need for a raft tether anchor which can be easily attached to a raft to provide a fitting for connection of a tether.

There is a need for a raft tether anchor which can securely attach to a raft with minimal stress on the structure of the raft.

There is a need for a raft tether anchor which can be easily attached and removed from a raft to provide a temporary fitting for connection of a tether.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The raft tether anchor of the present invention provides a secure attachment point, for a line, on a raft having a cup holder well. The raft tether anchor comprises hitch means and a compressible resilient body. The hitch means includes a post having an upper end and a lower end. The upper end includes an eyelet for receiving a tether and the lower end includes a base. The compressible resilient body is formed in a generally annular shape having a central bore sized to receive the post in a snug fitting engagement, with the eyelet protruding. The base is configured to act as a stop to prevent the post from advancing through the bore, beyond the lower end of the post.

The body may be squeezed to a reduced volume and inserted into a well provided on the surface of a raft or float. The body may be released and allowed to resiliently expand to frictionally engage the interior surface of the well and retain the raft tether anchor on the raft or float. A tether may be attached, to the eyelet, by tying or by operating a clasp to maintain the raft or float in a fixed position and prevent drifting.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a raft tether anchor which may be easily attached to a raft or float, to provide a fitting for a tether.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a raft tether which can securely attach to a raft with minimal stress on the structure of the raft.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a raft tether which can be easily attached and easily removed from a raft to provide a temporary fitting for a tether.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the present invention will be better appreciated with reference to the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the raft tether anchor of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an inverted perspective view of the raft tether anchor of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the raft tether anchor of the present invention with a dotted line indicating the position of the post within the central aperture.

FIG. 4 is an elevation cross section view of an inflatable raft with the raft tether anchor of the present invention in a cup holder.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The raft tether anchor 10 is depicted in FIGS. 1-4 and provides an easy and convenient connection between a raft or float and a length of line, which is to be used for securing the raft or float and prevent drifting on wind or current. The raft tether anchor 10 comprises hitch means and a body, which is compressible and resilient. The hitch means preferably consists of a post 15, having an upper end and a lower end. The upper end is provided with an eyelet 20, as shown in FIG. 1. The lower end is provided with a transverse base 25 as shown in FIG. 3. The post 15 and base 25 are preferably formed of rigid plastic material but other rigid materials are suitable. The base 25 may be integral with the post 15 or may be formed separately and attached by gluing or other conventional means. The eyelet 20 is intended for attaching a length of line by passing the line through the eyelet 20 and tying a knot or by attaching a clasp, such as a carabiner, which is already connected to the length of line. It is preferred that the eyelet 20 be sized to freely admit one-half inch diameter line. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that hitch means may be comprised of other conventional fittings designed for securing a line.

It is preferred that the body 30 be formed of closed cell foam and have an annular shape with a central bore 35, sized to receive the post 15 in a snug fitting engagement. It is preferred that the body 30 be provided with a recess 40, surrounding the central bore 35 as shown in FIG. 3. The recess 40 is preferred to be sized to receive the base 25. It is intended that the post 15 may be advanced through the central bore 35 until the base 25 enters the recess 40 and lies flush with the surface of the body 30, as shown in FIG. 2. It is preferred that the post 15 have a length sufficient to cause the upper end to protrude from the central bore 35 and expose the eyelet 20, as shown in FIG. 1. It is also preferred that the portion of the body 30 proximate to the upper end of the post 15 be tapered in stepwise fashion to form an annular crown 45 having at least one face 50 oriented generally parallel to the longitudinal axis of the post 15.

The closed cell foam selected to form the body 30 is to be compressible and resilient as well as being resistant to ultra violet radiation, moisture, mildew, and mold. A micro-cell, closed cell polyvinylchloride foam is available from Spongex Corporation, of Shelton Connecticut and is sold under the tradename Aqua-Cell™. The Aqua-Cell™ foam is available in variable sizes and shapes, molded to order, and may be produced with measurements suitable for forming the body 30.

The raft tether anchor 10 is intended for use with a raft or float having a well, commonly known as a cup holder, designed to hold a standard twelve ounce container of juice or soda. The body 30 may be squeezed to a reduced volume, inserted within a cup holder, and released. The body 30 is allowed to resiliently expand and frictionally engage the cup holder, as shown in FIG. 4. It is preferred that the body 30 have sufficient volume to engage the cup holder with a degree of pressure needed to securely retain the raft tether anchor within the cup holder. The face 50 frictionally engages the upper periphery of the cup holder to provide an aesthetically pleasing look and to help securely retain the raft tether anchor within the cup holder. One end of a length of line may be attached to a boat, a dock or other structure. The other end of the length of line may be attached to the eyelet 20, by tying a knot. Alternatively, the line may be provided with a releasable clasp, such as a carabiner, which can be connected to the eyelet, according to conventional practice. A user may relax on the raft while tethered in a fixed location. The raft tether anchor 10 may be used with a raft in a swimming pool or in more active waters, in conjunction with boating or swimming. The raft tether anchor 10 may be used to tether a float, which is supporting a cooler or other equipment, when a user is in the water fishing or floating on a separate raft. In the event that wave action or other disturbance becomes strong enough to cause excessive shock loads on the length of line, the body 30 will dislodge from the cup holder without causing damage to the raft.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, that the closed cell foam material, of the body 30, in a volume appropriate for filling a standard cup holder, will be sufficient to float the raft tether anchor 10; thereby, eliminating the risk of loss by sinking.

It will also be appreciated by those skilled in the art that many commercially available rafts have multiple cup holder wells and that a plurality of raft tether anchors 10 may be engaged on a single raft, so that a group of rafts may be linked as a chain, or network, with one raft in the group, tethered to a boat or other fixed structure.

Having fully described the present invention, it may be understood that minor variations may be introduced without departing from the scope of the invention as disclosed and claimed herein. 

1. A raft tether anchor for releasable attachment to a well provided on a raft, comprising: hitch means and a body; said body being engaged on said hitch means and being formed of compressible and resilient material; said hitch means having means for releasable attachment to a length of line; whereby said raft tether anchor may be attached to said raft by compressing said body, inserting said body within said well and allowing said body to resiliently expand to achieve frictional engagement within said well; and whereby said line may be tethered to prevent drifting of said raft.
 2. The raft tether anchor of claim 1, wherein said hitch means comprises a post having an upper end and a lower end; said means for releasable attachment to a length of line being an eyelet provided proximate to said upper end; said lower end having a transverse base; said body having a central bore sized for receiving said post in snug fitting relation; whereby said post may be received within said bore with said eyelet protruding and said base resting adjacent to said body.
 3. The raft tether anchor of claim 2, wherein said post and said base are formed of rigid plastic.
 4. The raft tether anchor of claim 1, wherein said body is formed of polyvinylchloride micro-cell closed cell foam.
 5. The raft tether anchor of claim 2, wherein a portion of the body adjacent to said upper end of said post is tapered to form an annular crown, for an aesthetically pleasing appearance and for frictionally engaging the upper portion of said well. 